When Should You Start Looking For Student Internships?

You might hear the words “summer vacationer” or “clerkship” thrown around a lot, but do you know about the strict application deadlines? Or when it’s the right time for you to apply?

The good news is, you can do an internship anytime in your studies, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements!

When should you start looking for summer internships?

The extremely competitive and popular summer vacationer positions are open for application from early May through to late August. The exact application dates may change from year to year, and differ between industries.

April is a great time to sit down and do some research into which companies you’d like to apply for, what their requirements are, and what you can do to prepare for them.

Tip! Student internships keep the internship listings archived, so you can get an idea of what internship roles are available. Star these in your account and you will have shortlist of them when you login.

When should you start looking for winter internships?

Most companies that offer summer vacationer positions will also offer a shorter, 4 - 6 week winter vacationer programs, held during your July/August uni break (sorry to the unis with trimesters, you guys might miss out).

The applications for these will open between February to March and are often filled on a rolling basis so make sure you get your application in as early as you can!

What other opportunities should I look for and when?

Many engineering firms, consulting firms and investment banks also hold case competitions, where you can sign up individually or as a part of a team to compete for a spot in their internship programs.

For example, every year the investment bank UBS holds the UBS Investment banking challenge, where the winners will be offered a spot on their internship or graduate program.

These case competitions run fairly year-round, but will pop up mostly around week 4-5 of the normal university calendar. This means that registration will mostly be held in late March through to early May.